baldric

or bal·drick

[ bawl-drik ]

/ ˈbɔl drɪk /

noun

a belt, sometimes richly ornamented, worn diagonally from shoulder to hip, supporting a sword, horn, etc.

Nearby words

Origin of baldric

1250–1300; Middle English bauderik, bawdryk, baudry < Anglo-French baudré, baldré, Old French baldrei, baudré, perhaps < Frankish *baltirad sword belt, equivalent to Latin balte(us) belt + Germanic *-rad provision, equipment (compare Old High German rat); source of final -ik uncertain

Related formsbal·dricked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for baldric

A "Sheffield whittle" stuck in his baldric; and in a pouch was deposited the remnant of a magnificent pasty.
Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 1 (of 2)|John Roby
About his neck was a baldric of balas rubies, and over his robe he wore the collar of the Order of the Garter.
Windsor Castle|William Harrison Ainsworth
And first a shield he fashioned, vast and strong, with threefold rim, and baldric of silver.
Stories from the Iliad|H. L. Havell
It was D'Artagnan's sword, which, slipping from his baldric, had fallen on the sonorous flooring.
The Man in the Iron Mask|Alexandre Dumas, Pere

The Chevalier squared his shoulders and shifted his baldric.
The Grey Cloak|Harold MacGrath

British Dictionary definitions for baldric

baldric

/ (ˈbɔːldrɪk) /

noun

a wide silk sash or leather belt worn over the right shoulder to the left hip for carrying a sword, etc

Word Origin for baldric

C13: from Old French baudrei, of Frankish origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for baldric

baldric

c.1300, "belt worn over the shoulder," from Old French baldre (Modern French baudrier "shoulder-belt"), which probably is from Latin balteus "belt," said by Varro to be of Etruscan origin. The English word perhaps influenced by Middle High German balderich (which itself is from the Old French).